Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog

     Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, but radioactive, elemental gas in the bedrock of many areas in the U.S  It is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. This gas leaches into our homes through our basements, crawl spaces, and foundations, increasing the risk of lung cancer.   I have no idea why I have lung cancer, but as a non-smoker with no family history, I occasionally think about its cause.        Several months ago I had a radon home-test which I didn't use because it was expired.  As the weather is getting cooler around this area and I think about our house being "closed up" more for the winter months, I remembered that I wanted to check our radon level.  So, a few weeks ago I finally went to the local hardware store and picked up a new home tester.  I followed the easy instructions and have learned that our radon level is 10....

Living with cancer is an evolving experience.  Back in April, I realized that I wasn't experiencing pain that required me to be on Oxycontin and started the four-month process of weaning off of it. I knew, at that time, that eventually I would probably need to go back on it. I have conflicted feelings about the stuff.  I certainly hope that I'll never need it in the future, but in all likelihood, there will come a time that I will be thankful that it's available to me.   Since I've gone off of Oxycontin, I have been fortunate enough to have very little pain.  There are some days when I don't have any twinges at all.  (I love those days!)  However, two weeks ago things changed, a bit.  I woke up with right rib pain in a specific area near my upper back.  I only felt it when I moved my arm a certain way, but it was sharp enough to take my breath away.  For five consecutive days I woke up to the same pain, so I finally called my oncologist....